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Hello,

Currently our guild is playing Guild Wars 2 but are completely burnt out on it due to lack of decent end-game and progressions. We do favor appearances-only style progression but not when gated behind extremely buggy dungeons and a less then impressive selfish community that is starting to develop in end-game GW2.

We have a few questions that maybe you could answer to help us decide?

1. Does this game feature group content (e.g. dungeons) and does it have an LFG style tool? How does it work?

2. What is the end-game in The Secret World? Is it never-ending WoW style progression, skins/appearances only etc

3. How does the questing style in this game work and what can we expect when leveling up?

4. What server do you recommend? We are primarily oceanic.

5. What are the best purchase options now that its gone B2P?

Edit: 6. How do the skill points work and can you easily say go to an NPC and reset them when experimenting?

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Originally posted by FearU

Hello,

Currently our guild is playing Guild Wars 2 but are completely burnt out on it due to lack of decent end-game and progressions. We do favor appearances-only style progression but not when gated behind extremely buggy dungeons and a less then impressive selfish community that is starting to develop in end-game GW2.

We have a few questions that maybe you could answer to help us decide?

1. Does this game feature group content (e.g. dungeons) and does it have an LFG style tool? How does it work?

2. What is the end-game in The Secret World? Is it never-ending WoW style progression, skins/appearances only etc

3. How does the questing style in this game work and what can we expect when leveling up?

4. What server do you recommend? We are primarily oceanic.

5. What are the best purchase options now that its gone B2P?

Thanks!

Hey there -- so some info for you:

1. Yes, the group content includes dungeons (normal, elite and nightmare mode), a raid, lairs (open world bosses), and PvP (Fusang, El Dorado and Stonehenge). The game includes an LFG tool (there is also a mod called Field Agent Locator), but it does not teleport you to the dungeon, it simply is a tool to find groups. Lots of people use th LFG channel as well, but most like that it is not a full lobby tool. You can definitely group up to do missions in the open world as well -- the action missions work the best for that.

2. Here's some of the stuff you can do at endgame:

Run nightmare mode dungeons

New York City raid

PvP in Fusang, Stonehenge or El Dorado

Run Lairs

Collect all the Auxiliary Weapons (Rocket Launcher, Chainsaw, Quantum Brace). There will be more...

Monthly tournaments in the Fight Clubs (PvP)

Explore all the zones (many side missions tucked away there)

Collect all the lore

Unlock the ability wheel and all the deck outfits

Build more decks once you have all the abilities unlocked

Farm lower level zones for various rare weapon skins and signets

Rerun any of your favorite missions

Work on achievements (10,000 kills, etc)

Check out RP stuff going on -- plays at the Albion, etc.

3. There are no levels in TSW (gear quality is a rough approximation), but you do progress by unlocking the ability wheel and creating multiple "decks" or sets of abilities in the game. No one deck will work for all content, so you'll need to work on creating versatility into your character. Missions are very story-based, and tie together to create a larger overarching story in the game. You can have 1 story mission, 1 dungeon mission, 1 main mission, and 3 side missions going at any one time, and each mission has multiple tiers. You do not typically need to return to "the hub" to turn in missions -- simply call in on your cell phone to complete. Yo typically will follow breadcrumbs on missions to new areas rather than complete and return. There are 3 mission types: action, investigation and sabotage. Investigation missions typically involve solving a puzzle of some kind, while sabotage require stealth and less fighting. There is no "stealth mode" in the game, so you'll be avoid line of sight to get past guards, etc. Rewards include money (pax), as well as talisman and weapon drops, as well as runes, which you can craft to create augmentations to weapons. The theme of course is horror/conspiracy, so think X-Files, Lovecraft, Poe, King and Indiana Jones.

4. Server choice is less important because you can chat and group across servers. Leviathan and Arcadia are the RP dimensions. Server choice also plays a part in the PvP Battlegroups, and depending on your faction in those battlegroups, you may have a higher population. Dragons tends to be the least populated faction, but it's less of an issue with all the new players.

5. Amazon has it on sale for $17.99 right now as a download -- great deal for all the content you get out of the box.

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Originally posted by FearU

Hello,

Currently our guild is playing Guild Wars 2 but are completely burnt out on it due to lack of decent end-game and progressions. We do favor appearances-only style progression but not when gated behind extremely buggy dungeons and a less then impressive selfish community that is starting to develop in end-game GW2.

We have a few questions that maybe you could answer to help us decide?

1. Does this game feature group content (e.g. dungeons) and does it have an LFG style tool? How does it work?

2. What is the end-game in The Secret World? Is it never-ending WoW style progression, skins/appearances only etc

3. How does the questing style in this game work and what can we expect when leveling up?

4. What server do you recommend? We are primarily oceanic.

5. What are the best purchase options now that its gone B2P?

Edit: 6. How do the skill points work and can you easily say go to an NPC and reset them when experimenting?

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4. Take your time finding the right server. I started at release on Huldra an unofficial Oceanic which currently is just not busy during our playtime. So now Im on Arcadia which seems busy nearly all the time and has great people in its community.

3. Questing is very different. You get one main quest and follow it through its tiers while picking up "side missions" and completing them as you go. There is no grab every quest and do them all mentality. It can be disconcerting at first but you soon realise this makes the world more immersive and the story feel greater.

6. No respec No ressurect! These two things tend to also throw new players for a loop. If you need to change build then you just rerun some missions, get more points, and branch out into new skills and actions. Its all about building up to a high level of diversity and adaptability and NOT being stuck in one type of character. The No ressurect is there to always keep you doing your best.

Personally I find all these differences make the game more enjoyable but I do understand they take some getting used to when you come from other games with their "easy way out" gameplay solutions.

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Just a couple other notes based on discussion that has gone on before.

Gear "quality level (QL)" in TSW is the closest thing to levels in the game. Currently, gear QL runs from 1 thru 10.5. Most of the endgame folks are working to get the point increases to the QL10 gear, but the gear increases at that level are fairly small. You can certainly grind for gear if you wish to do that at endgame, and nightmare dungeons are around the same difficulty as raids in most other games, although overall TSW dungeons have fewer trash mobs. The dungeons are some of the best around, imo. That said, there are other things (in that previous list) you can do instead of grind for gear, and the lead designer has stated they are looking at more horizontal progression at the endgame level. Always a challenge, but again the QL10 gear has been rising in very small increments.

Finally, the TSW community is older (30+) and one of the friendlier around. Check out the forums if you want to see the conversations bandying about -- not perfect, but pretty good.

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Look at your options of what weapons you want to use and playstyle. Then research their forums for ideas of how to set skills up.

The quests alone were worth it.

Yes research, cus many of the combinations are useless and even if they looks ok you will end up helpless and with no way of reseting skill points. You either delete the character and start over or keep playing miserably till you get enough points to change your build.

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I have been playing it for 5 days now. It is a very different type of MMO. It is good though. Skill points are not that hard to get. I focused on DPS weapons to make it easier for the rest. Ability points come in very fast as well. For those that want to get new skills faster you can always get the ap boosts. I got the game friday and completed 30 quests and got 1200 free points to spend in the item shop. I think it is every weekend until some event is over. But you only get it once. Anyhow I say try the game it is fun and seems endless. Besides that there is no monthly fee and you cant go wrong with it being on sale as well.

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Look at your options of what weapons you want to use and playstyle. Then research their forums for ideas of how to set skills up.

The quests alone were worth it.

Yes research, cus many of the combinations are useless and even if they looks ok you will end up helpless and with no way of reseting skill points. You either delete the character and start over or keep playing miserably till you get enough points to change your build.

Wrong. This is the thing that throws many new players. Please read this thread:

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Atuerstar mentions no reserections, does this mean perma-death or only the ability to res from a waypoint?

Might grab it off Amazon later given the low price and give it a first-hand spin at least. :)

Resurectiones points only, no res skills of any kind.

To clarify: everyone can resurrect at the Anima wells when they die, or optionally do a corpse run. There is no penlty to death other than gear damage which must be repaired (pax cost). In dungeons, however, when you die, the party must struggle on without you, but you can watch the fight as they do. You'll be rezzed when the dungeon is finished or the party wipes.

You can also do a /reset, which "kills" you, but then you can fast travel to other Anima wells if you want (just remember to remove gear first). I believe they are looking at a new fast travel system as well.

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I just started the game like a week ago and i haven't been able to put it down. While the graphics do seem a little dated IMO it's a DEV look and feel choice i think it makes the game seem darker which for TSW is a good thing. People on this forum complain all the time about this or that game being a WOW clone well TSW is for sure not a WOW clone.

I can't remember the last time I had to pay attention while playing I could sleep though WOW and SWTOR. TSW if you dodge the wrong way say good night and welcome to the corpse run. So far I had to look up Latin, Morse code and some sheet music just to get through kingsmouth.

So if you are looking for something different that will challenge you TSW is it.

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1. Same content as any traditional MMORPG. quests, dungeons and raids(one raid as of now). the dungeons are short and so is the raid. very few mob packs and a boss or two. they are gated wiht lock outs.

2. Same as WoW, except shorter and more borning since there's less instances to repeat.

3. Same as any other MMO. you can only accept a few quests at a time, but it's the same style. Zone pregression is linear based on gear level. Functions like any other level basedgame in practice.

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Look at your options of what weapons you want to use and playstyle. Then research their forums for ideas of how to set skills up.

The quests alone were worth it.

Yes research, cus many of the combinations are useless and even if they looks ok you will end up helpless and with no way of reseting skill points. You either delete the character and start over or keep playing miserably till you get enough points to change your build.

this you dont have to do.there is no need at all to delete any char thats made..just head back to the start area and do easy missions to get skill points and ability points.you still get the xp and you can open up new avenues ..i,e new weapons etc.i've been playing since release and i still quest around the savage coast area to get the skill points and ability points..they mount up pretty quick..all quests in the game can be repeated apart from the story ones.has far as i know

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Originally posted by FearU

Hello,

Currently our guild is playing Guild Wars 2 but are completely burnt out on it due to lack of decent end-game and progressions. We do favor appearances-only style progression but not when gated behind extremely buggy dungeons and a less then impressive selfish community that is starting to develop in end-game GW2.

We have a few questions that maybe you could answer to help us decide?

1. Does this game feature group content (e.g. dungeons) and does it have an LFG style tool? How does it work?

yes it has very good dungeons. seriously the best dungeons you can play today. but it doesnt have very many of them

2. What is the end-game in The Secret World? Is it never-ending WoW style progression, skins/appearances only etc

harder modes on the dungeons, outdoor lairs that unlock outdoor zone bosses that unlock outdoor region bosses, raid coming soon. Also a pvp area a bit like a mini wvw, but its not as good as say GW2 or PS2, if pvp is your priority look elsewhere (the pvp aint that bad though, it aint swtor bad)

3. How does the questing style in this game work and what can we expect when leveling up?

ok for each region you have 1 massive over arching quest line. You can also pick up one more main quest - which could be an investigation (you know the puzzle stuff), an action quest (although these are typically not a kill 10 wolves quest they usually have some sort of puzzling or working things out twist) or a sabotage mission (where you use stealth or have jumping puzzles) - each of these main quests has multiple stages. When you complete quests you can usually just phone the results in. Its not a wow style go a village, hoover up 10 quests then play the map system. In addition to the region quest and the main quest you may also carry 3 collection quests which are typically kill a collection of named mobs or pick up some pages of a document or whatever. Only the main quests are voice over and the story is good so its not a spacebarathon like swtor. typically the best way to play is pick up a quest, follow it through its stages then pick up a new quest near where you finish. Also there are quests hidden away in out of the way places and crafting quests. Its a very good quest system, it does away with the hubgrinding approach of wow / swtor just as much as gw2 does, but feels less "gamey"

4. What server do you recommend? We are primarily oceanic.

all servers are international, also you can cross group across servers as they use this mega server tech thing simmilar to what TESO will be using.

5. What are the best purchase options now that its gone B2P?

wouldnt know. but im thinking of going back now its b2p. will be playing ps2 mainly fgor pvp, with maybe some tsw for a side dish of pve.

Edit: 6. How do the skill points work and can you easily say go to an NPC and reset them when experimenting? you dont need to respec. As you advance in the game skill points come faster, its got like the opposite leveling curve of your traditional mmo. So say when you first start you might be getting a skill point every 30 minutes or so, by the time your at end game youre more likely getting a skill point every 5 minutes. NEVER REROLL. It is always faster to earn skill points on an existing xharacter than an old one. finally - YOU CAN CARRY AS MANY SPECS AS YOU WANT. Lets say you are fighting packs of zombies, so you have a bunch of AOE skills on your skill bar. Now you come up against a champion mob, just go into the skill wheel and swap out your aoes for some single target damage, maybe an interupt to stop his special attack etc.. you are supposed to swap your skills around regularly, you will often come up against monsters that you cant fight with your normal build and so have to swap things around. Its a good idea to experiment regularly as the game gets quite unforgiving later on if you dont equip suitable tools for the job.

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Look at your options of what weapons you want to use and playstyle. Then research their forums for ideas of how to set skills up.

The quests alone were worth it.

Yes research, cus many of the combinations are useless and even if they looks ok you will end up helpless and with no way of reseting skill points. You either delete the character and start over or keep playing miserably till you get enough points to change your build.

^This.

And don't follow the existing decks suggested in-game. Yes, you can get some snappy outfits when you unlock a suggested deck, however, I found that those decks don't take you very far, but they do get you started nicely. I think by the time you hit Egypt, you pretty much need a solid skillset which isn't going to be found by strictly using a suggested deck. You'll unlock these over time anyways.

Also, like he posted above, when you research weapon combos/ skillsets on the forums, be careful, some posted on there don't work well together. But you will find one that fits whatever playstyle you like.

For example, I like to switch between the following (these are not the best, I just prefer range to melee):

AR/Blood leech build

Ele/Blood pure caster dps build

Ele/Blood lower dps/ healing build

What I like is that my (for example) Ele/Blood pure caster dps build could be totally different than another Ele/Blood caster dps player in my group, we probably have different gear setups and our skills in our toolbars are totally different too. There are that many options. The concepts are the same, but we each effect mobs in a different way with debuffs.

Or, I run an AR/Blood leech build and the other guy on in the group is running an AR/Blade leech build. Again, same concept, just different effects which stack.

Ultimately, you can play any weapon combo/skillset you want, but some will be more harder than others to quest with.

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